The Amateurs

As soon as Seneca Frazier sees the post on the Case Not Closed website about Helena Kelly, she's hooked. Helena's high-profile disappearance five years earlier is the one that originally got Seneca addicted to true crime. It's the reason she's a member of the site in the first place. So when Maddy Wright, her best friend from the CNC site, invites Seneca to spend spring break in Connecticut looking into the cold case, she immediately packs her bag. But the moment she steps off the train in trendy, glamorous Dexby, things begin to go wrong. Maddy is nothing like she expected, and Helena's sister, Aerin Kelly, seems completely hostile and totally uninterested in helping with their murder investigation. But when Brett, another super user from the site, joins Seneca and Maddy in Dexby, Aerin starts to come around. The police must have missed something, and someone in Dexby definitely has information they've been keeping quiet. As Seneca, Brett, Maddy, and Aerin begin to unravel dark secrets and shocking betrayals about the people closest to them, they seem to be on the murderer's trail at last. But somewhere nearby the killer is watching . . . ready to do whatever it takes to make sure the truth stays buried. First in a new series by the #1 New York Times best-selling author of the Pretty Little Liars series, Sara Shepard, The Amateurs is packed with the twists and turns, steamy romance, and stunning revelations that her fans have been waiting for.

Opinion

From Library Staff

Fans of Pretty Little Liars and The Lying Game will enjoy Sara Shepard's first installment in her latest series. Like Shepard's previous books, there are plenty of pop culture references and hints of romance with the mystery. At times the dialogue had me rolling my eyes, but there are enough twis... Read More »

Fans of Pretty Little Liars and The Lying Game will enjoy Sara Shepard's first installment in her latest series. Like Shepard's previous books, there are plenty of pop culture references and hints of romance with the mystery. At times the dialogue had me rolling my eyes, but there are enough twists and turns to keep you guessing.

This is not my first Sara Shepard book. I have read the entire Pretty Little Liars series, twice. I've also read and enjoyed The Heiresses and The Perfectionists series. I was super excited about her latest book The Amateurs due to be released here in the U.S. on November 1, 2016. I am so grateful to Netgalley and Disney Book Group for allowing me the egalley in exchange for my honest review.

I really enjoyed this book! Just like other books by Shepard, this book starts out with secrets, murders, gossip and lies! While other books had female lead characters, this book has 2 male main characters in addition to the females. It was a change that I really enjoyed. The Amateurs also took on a slightly older feel with main a main character being at the end of high school and in their early 20's.

Though I was very excited to read this, it was a bit of a slow start. Once I eased into the book and learned about the characters and story I was hooked! There were so many twists and turns that it kept me engaged and excited to open the book and read every chance I got. I was kept guessing throughout the story and in typical Sara Shepard fashion I was left guessing right up until the end!

This book, of course, has some romance to it. There were a few times I rolled my eyes during some romance scenes, but nothing that made me hate the book. I did feel during all the romance scenes that I just wanted to get back to the mystery at hand! With party scenes that involved alcohol, drugs and sex this is definitely not a book for the younger reader.

All in all, I really enjoyed this and look forward to the next one! I need to know what happens next! This may turn into Shepard's best series yet! A 4-star read for me.

The Amateurs is due to be released Nov 1, 2016. At the time of this blog post publishing it is currently on sale at 39% off for the Kindle Edition and 41% off for the Hardcover on Amazon!!! Pre-order it now!

Once again, thanks again to Netgalley and Disney Book Group for allowing me to read and review!

This book is incredibly similar to the Pretty Little Liars series (also by Sara). The story is around the disappearance and murder of a popular blonde girl in a rich town where "nothing bad ever happens". A group of teenagers start looking into the murder as it has not been solved yet, and as they are doing so someone starts to "mess with them" to get them to stop. All of which is right in line with PLL. However, the book keeps you guessing throughout as they try to solve the case. The last chapter totally throws a curve ball and now I cannot wait for the next book!

The Amateurs is actually a pretty good read with a story that starts with a missing teenage girl but takes an interesting twist when an online community of crime solving fanatics decide to take on her case years after it went cold. I enjoyed this story overall but the last chapter had a huge plot twist.

Your typical Sara Shepard book - cheesy dialogue, forced pop culture references, but still so hard to put down. I did see the final, dramatic plot twist coming (although it was so shocking it still managed to surprise me). Definitely a fun read.

This book had me on my toes the entire last few chapters. I really did not see that plot twist coming. I am so glad that there is going to be two more books in the series. I love how she kept the readers in suspense with plot twists (in like almost every other page) in The Perfectionist series and this book.